George w



. TUTTLB GISING CHILDREN.

PATENTED SEPT UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. j

MACHINE FOR EXERCISING CHILDREN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 5,273, dated September 4, 1847.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. TUTTLE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement of a Machine which I Have Named or Termed a Baby-Jumper; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing. 1

In the drawing Figure 1 represents the article complete, and Fig. 2 in use.

In Fig. 1 a, a, a, a is a hoop of wood or metal of some two or three feet in diameter having on the inner side thereof and equidistant from each other four buttons or knobs two of which are shown at b, b. This hoop is suspended from four bracing straps or supporters 0, c, 0, 6, meeting at the point (Z. At the point 03 one end of a line 6, e, is

fastened.

f is a hook fastened to the ceiling of a room or on some elevated place some three or four feet distant from any side wall. Upon this hook is fastened an elastic India rubber spring of considerable stiffness, something similar to the metallic india rubber door spring'is found to answer best in having a loop hole through its lower end through which the line or cord 6 6 passes. When greater stiffness is required in the spring any necessary number of springs of the same length may be fastened to the hook f. 'The end of the line after passing through the loop hole in the spring is brought down to the point d and fastened The object being to be able in a bow knot. to raise or lower the hoop by means of the cord, as doubled, being made longer or shorter. The india rubber spring may be cased or covered with the ornamental tapestry g.

A jacket or coat 7:. is attached to the hoop a a a a by four pieces of webbing Z 2' z 2' at the knobs b, 6, 6,6.

At the back of the jacket near the waist inside is sewed the band j of some soft material with buttons at the lower end sufficiently long to hang down in a loop and fasten by the buttons to the front of the jacket as is shown in Fig. 3 where one corner is fastened at the point 70. This strap passes between the legs of the infant and makes a seat for it when the jumper is in use.

Fig. 4 shows a method of dispensing with and without the the hoop (a Fig. 1) by making the support: ers Z, Z, Z, Z, of iron steel or some other suit-. able material with. hooks at-the lower end of each to which the straps from the jacket 0 are fastened. When it is intended to use the jumper, put the jacket upon the infant by passing the strap between its legs, button or hook the jacket around the body of the infant, suspend the jacket with the in- 55 fant fastened in it by buttoning the straps z, z, 2', 2', on the hoop a a a a Fig. l, or on the lower end of the braces Z, Z, Z, Z, Fig. 4. Or the lower straps Z Z 2' i may be permanently fastened to the hoop at the points I), b, b, b, Fig. 1 or to the extremities of Z, Z, Z, Z, Fig. 4 and the lower end of said strap. Then fasten to the jacket by buttons at the points where the said straps are represented as fastened to the jacket in Fig. 1.

By the cord 6, e, raise or lower the hoop so that the weight of the child bearing down on the spring will just permit him or her to touch the floor with the feet. The child is thus suspended as in Fig. 2. The effect is that as the child touches the ground or floor with its foot theelasticity of the spring causes it to bounce up to turn around and move in different ways to its great delight possibility of receiving injury.

- I have contemplated the forming either the straps a, 0, c, 0 or the straps i, z, z, z

of elastic india rubber as a substitute for the single elastic spring as thesemay be made to produce a like effect; but I prefer the single spring as described, it being more uniform in its operation.

Every part of the jumper may be highly ornamented and thus become a beautiful 95. artic e of-furniture. It is believed that it will be found highly useful for exercise to all infants, a great relief to nurses, and useful in giving strength of body and limbs to sick or. lame children of a larger growth. I

I do not claim the use of a spring aslthe means of giving motion for the purpose of exercise or amusement, as that has been before employed in a Variety of ways. But

I do claim The combining of a spring, or springs, with a suspended apparatus substantially the same with that above described for exercising children, and invalids; it being understood that my claim is limited tothe combination of such spring, or springs and suspensory apparatus as will enable the child to bring its feet conveniently in contact with i may think proper While I attain the same the floor, While its body is suspended subend by means substantially the same. 'stantially in the manner described; not in- Dated January 22nd 1847.

tending however by the foregoing descrip- GEORGEIW. TUTTLE. tion and claim to limit myself to the exact Witnesses: I

form or mode of uniting any of the parts HENRY P. TOWNSEND,

of the apparatus, but to vary the same as I I A. B. BATTERSON. 

